Letter to Mobile Network Operators!

Hope you are not low on BP after today’s / yesterday’s news. I woke up and saw a full page ad on front page of TOI, a leading network provider welcoming me to join them. HT had another giant ad of another network provider and so had Mint, Business Standard etc.

I took a long breath and smiled – as I remember you considering me as your soul mate for the rest of my life. You always thought that I am never going to part with you no matter how bad services you provide.

Those ten digits which you provided became a forced identity over time. I never thought it will get stuck to me along with your crap services forever. You always thought no matter whatever you do, it will not be easy for me to change my identity.

This is not to let you know that I am leaving you. Thanks to the government regulations which have now given the power in my hands to decide upon our relation. However, I just want to convey; you will now have to compete with best of companies to retain customers and gain more.

Are you ready?

One in every six Indians needs to change their provider, imagine how many aren’t happy with you (source)! Given India’s mobile subscriber base of more than 700 million, it could mean that up to 120 million people want to switch. There are many, who just want to switch their provider just for the heck of it.

I can understand you are busy welcoming new subscribers just like any other network provider, but don’t forget the existing ones!!

Even after hours of irritation at the customer care, I have tried to convince myself about not having a new provider for the sake of hanging on to the same number. Not anymore.

This is probably the last time when I am telling you this. One more mistake when it is least expected; is going to cost you huge.

A ni8ce way to vent frustration. However I am hopelessly a pessimist with the Indian mentality.

Here are my two paisa :)

Going by your above article out of 700 million one out of six want to change operator i.e. lets say 125 million. Not all of them suffered at the hands of the same operator. What happens is those who are fed up with Airtel will try their luck with Tata Docomo, those fed up with Docomo will try Reliance and Reliance to Idea so on so forth.

So the losses due to frustation for the provider will be compensated by gains from new customers who are frustated by otehgr provider.

The trick is who frustated most customers. They are the ones to loose more (Loss of customers minus gains from otehr networks).

Unless figures come out for such changes, every provider will brag about how many new customers he gained from others. They wont disclose how many they lost.

Net effect is 125 million people will pay 19 rupees each 2.5 billion to taste the new experiance.

Note : Once the service providers know that they gained net (loss of customers minus gain of customers) thats it. They will cap the service. That is the max we get out of them. They as well as we know that what ever they do, we have to stick to them.